President Barack Obama
The White House Washington, D.C.

December 1, 2009

Dear President Obama,

With millions of U.S. people feeling the fear and desperation of no longer having a home; with millions feeling the terror and loss of dignity that comes with unemployment; with millions of our children slipping further into poverty and hunger, your decision to deploy thousands more troops and throw hundreds of billions more dollars into prolonging the profoundly tragic war in Afghanistan strikes us as utter folly. We believe this decision represents a war against ordinary people, both here in the United States and in Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan, if continued, will result in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of U.S. troops, and untold thousands of Afghans.

Polls indicate that a majority of those who labored with so much hope to elect you as president now fear that you will make a wrong decision --a tragic decision that will destroy their dreams for America. More tragic is the price of your decision. It will be paid with the blood, suffering and broken hearts of our young troops, their loved ones and an even greater number of Afghan men, women and children.

The U.S. military claims that this war must be fought to protect U.S. national security, but we believe it is being waged to expand U.S. empire in the interests of oil and pipeline companies.

Your decision to escalate U.S. troops and continue the occupation will cause other people in other lands to despise the U.S. as a menacing military power that violates international law. Keep in mind that to most of the peoples of the world, widening the war in Afghanistan will look exactly like what it is: the world's richest nation making war on one of the world's very poorest.

The war must be ended now. Humanitarian aid programs should address the deep poverty that has always been a part of the life of Afghan people.

We will keep opposing this war in every nonviolent way possible. We will urge elected representatives to cut all funding for war. Some of us will be led to withhold our taxes, practice civil resistance, and promote slowdowns and strikes at schools and workplaces.

In short, President Obama, we will do everything in our power, as nonviolent peace activists, to build the kind of massive movement --which today represents the sentiments of a majority of the American people--that will play a key role in ending U.S. war in Afghanistan. Such would be the folly of a decision to escalate troop deployment and such is the depth of our opposition to the death and suffering it would cause.

Sincerely,

Jerry Gordon - National Assembly To End Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupation
Kathy Kelly - Voices for Creative Nonviolence

Mark Johnson - Fellowship of Reconciliation
Max Obuszewski - Director Baltimore Nonviolence Center

Mike Ferner, President Veterans For Peace

Deborah Forter – Military Families Speak Out

Elaine Brower, World Can’t Wait

Malachy Kilbride, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Cole Harrison – United for Peace and Justice

Matthew Daloisio, War Resisters League

Brian Becker – A.N.S.W.E.R

Deborah Sweet – World Can’t Wait

Kevin Martin - Peace Action
Kevin Zeese - Voters for Peace

Larry Holmes - Troops Out Now Coalition
Pat Elder – Peace Action Montgomery

Pete Perry – National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Michael McPhearson - Veterans For Peace, United for Peace and Justice

Adele Kubein - Military Families Speak Out
Sara Flounders - International Action Center

Jose Vasquez - Iraq Veterans Against the War

Jeff Mackler - National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations
Joy First - National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

Medea Benjamin – Code Pink

Siri Margerin - United for Peace and Justice

David Swanson, After Downing Street
Johnny Zokovitch – Pax Christi

Marilyn Levin – National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations
Corey Ansel – A.N.S.W.E.R.

Leslie Kielson - United for Peace and Justice